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This study evaluated effects of an algaeclay-based mycotoxin decontaminant on levels of zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON) and their derivatives in the colostrum, milk, and serum of sows, as well as in the serum of weaned piglets after maternal mycotoxin exposure from the last week of gestation to weaning (26 days). To this end, 15 sows split into 3 groups (n = 5/group) were fed diets naturally contaminated with 100 (LoZEN) or 300 (HiZEN) µg/kg ZEN, with or without an algae-clay-based mycotoxin decontaminant in the highly contaminated diet. All diets contained 250 µg/kg DON. Dietary treatments did not influence the performance of the sows and piglets. Only a-ZEL significantly increased in the colostrum of sows fed the HiZEN diet, and this increase was even greater in the colostrum of the sows fed the HiZEN diet supplemented with the test decontaminant. However, no differences in milk mycotoxin concentrations were observed at weaning. The greatest concentrations of ZEN, a-ZEL, and β-ZEL were observed in the serum of sows fed the HiZEN diet. When the HiZEN diet was supplemented with the tested algae-clay-based mycotoxin decontaminant, lconcentrations of ZEN and its metabolites were significantly decreased in the serum of sows. Although all sows were fed the same levels of DON, the serum concentration of de-epoxy-DON increased only in the serum of piglets from the sows fed a diet with the non-supplemented HiZEN diet. In conclusion, the tested algae-clay-based mycotoxin decontaminant can decrease concentrations of ZEN and its metabolites in the serum of sows and the level of de-DON in the serum of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, soybean meal (SBM) is the premier protein source in pig diets because of the optimal amino acid (AA) content. However, due to developments in sustainability and local availability of SBM, it is of great interest for the feed industry to explore the effect on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of replacing SBM inclusion in pig diets by alternative protein sources. The objective of the current study was to explore the effect of partially and/or totally replacement of SBM in the starter, grower and finisher diets formulating based on the same NE, dig AA/NE, and similar AA profile on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs (25 kg to slaughter at ±120 kg). In total, 120 boars and 120 gilts (Top Pi x T20) entered the experiment with an average body weight of 23.4 ± 1.87 kg and age of 61.4 ± 1.43 days. Pigs were blocked and randomly allocated to four dietary treatments depending on the inclusion level of SBM in the starter, grower and finisher phases. In treatment 1, the starter, grower and finisher feeds contained 16.0, 12.0 and 8.0% of SBM, respectively. In treatment 2, the starter, grower and finisher feeds contained 10.8, 8.1 and 0% of SBM, respectively. In treatment 3, the starter, grower and finisher feeds contained 5.3, 0 and 0% of SBM, respectively. In treatment 4, none of the feeds contained SBM. Pigs were housed in pens with 10 pigs per pen. The pens were equipped with individual feeding stations (IVO-G stations), which allowed for the measurement of individual feed intake. Pigs were individually weighed at the start of the experiment and at the diet changes at approximately 50 and 80 kg body weight and slaughter (±120 kg). During the grower phase, pigs fed according to treatment 1 showed reduced ADFI than the other treatment groups (1.91 vs. 2.0, 2.02 and 2.02 kg/d, P = 0.021) and subsequently decreased ADG (882 g/d vs. 927, 924 and 948 g/d, P = 0.005). Similar results were found during the starter + grower phases, where the pigs fed according to treatment 1 showed less ADFI than the other treatment groups pigs (1.63 vs. 1.71, 1.73 and 1.71 kg/d, P = 0.013) and subsequently less ADG (842 vs. 878, 878 and 874 g/d, P = 0.039). No major differences were found regarding the carcass characteristics. In conclusion, feed intake and growth performance were improved and carcass quality was not penalized by totally or partially replacing the SBM by other protein rich feedstuffs including rape seed meal (RSM), sunflower seed meal (SFM) and peas in diets for growing-fishing pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbiota play an important role in total tract nutrient digestion, especially when fibrous diets are fed to pigs. This study aimed to use metagenomics to predict faecal nutrient digestibility in grower‐finisher pigs. The study design consisted of 160 three‐way crossbreed grower‐finisher pigs (80 female and 80 male) which were either fed a diet based on corn/soybean meal or a more fibrous diet based on wheat/barley/by‐products. On the day before slaughter, faecal samples were collected and used to determine faecal digestibility of dry matter, ash, organic matter, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre and non‐starch polysaccharides. The faecal samples were also sequenced for the 16S hypervariable region of bacteria (V3/V4) to profile the faecal microbiome. With these data, we calculated the between‐animal variation in faecal nutrient digestibility associated with variation in the faecal microbiome, that is the "microbiability". The microbiability values were significantly greater than zero for dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fibre and non‐starch polysaccharides, ranging from 0.58 to 0.93, as well as for crude fat with a value of 0.37, but not significantly different from zero for ash. Using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation, we estimated the accuracy of predicting digestibility values of individual pigs based on their faecal microbiota composition. The accuracies of prediction for crude fat and ash digestibility were virtually 0, and for the other nutrients, the accuracies ranged from 0.42 to 0.63. In conclusion, the faecal microbiota composition gave high microbiability values for faecal digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fibre and non‐starch polysaccharides. The accuracies of prediction are relatively low if the interest is in precisely predicting faecal nutrient digestibility of individual pigs, but are promising from the perspective of ranking animals in a genetic selection context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibition of the attachment of bacteria to the intestine by receptor analogues could be a novel approach to prevent enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88-induced diarrhoea in piglets. The objective of the present study was to screen the ability of different feed ingredients (FI) to bind to ETEC K88 (adhesion test, AT) and to block its attachment to the porcine intestinal mucus (blocking test, BT) using in vitro microtitration-based models. In the AT, wheat bran (WB), casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP) and exopolysaccharides exhibited the highest adhesion to ETEC K88 (P< 0·001). In the BT, WB, CGMP and locust bean (LB) reduced the number of ETEC K88 attached to the intestinal mucus (P< 0·001). For WB and LB, fractionation based on their carbohydrate components was subsequently carried out, and each fraction was evaluated individually. None of the WB fractions reduced the adhesion of ETEC K88 to the mucus as did the original extract, suggesting that a protein or glycoprotein could be involved in the recognition process. With regard to the LB fractions, the water-extractable material reduced the adhesion of ETEC K88 (P< 0·001) to the mucus similar to the original extract (P< 0·001), indicating, in this case, that galactomannans or phenolic compounds could be responsible for the recognition process. In conclusion, among the FI screened, the soluble extracts obtained from WB, LB and CGMP exhibited the highest anti-adhesive properties against ETEC K88 in the BT. These results suggest that they may be good candidates to be included in diets of weaned piglets for the prevention of ETEC K88-induced diarrhoea. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Casein glycomacropeptide (CGMP), a glycoprotein originating during cheese manufacture, has shown promising effects by promoting the growth of some beneficial bacteria in vitro, although its activity has not been well explored. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of CGMP against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) K88 in vitro (Trial 1) and in vivo (Trial 2). In Trial 1, increasing concentrations of CGMP (0, 0·5, 1·5 or 2·5 mg/ml) were tested regarding its ability to block the attachment of ETEC K88 to ileal mucosa tissues obtained from piglets. Increasing the concentration of CGMP resulted in a gradual decrease in ETEC K88 attachment to the epithelial surface. In Trial 2, seventy-two piglets were distributed in a 2 × 2 factorial combination including or omitting CGMP in the diet (control diet v. CGMP) and challenged or not with ETEC K88 (yes v. no). Inclusion of CGMP increased crude protein, ammonia and isoacid concentrations in colon digesta. CGMP also increased lactobacilli numbers in ileum and colon digesta, and reduced enterobacteria counts in mucosa scrapings and the percentage of villi with E. coli adherence measured by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. The inclusion of CGMP in the diets of challenged animals also prevented the increase of enterobacteria in ileal digesta. We can conclude that CGMP may improve gut health by diminishing the adhesion of ETEC K88 to the intestinal mucosa, by increasing the lactobacilli population in the intestine and by reducing the overgrowth of enterobacteria in the digestive tract of piglets after an ETEC K88 challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using dietary fibre to control childhood diarrhoea has rarely been discussed. However, dietary fibre is being proposed to prevent diarrhoea in piglets. The present study aimed to study the effects of introducing fibre in the post-weaning piglet diet and its particle size on the intestinal ecosystem before and after an experimental infection with Escherichia coli. A total of thirty-six post-weaning piglets were assigned to four experimental diets: a negative control (NC) diet, the same diet with 4 % wheat bran coarse (WBc) particle size or finely milled (WBF) and a positive control (PC) diet with an antibiotic. On day 9, animals were challenged with E. coli. Faecal and digesta samples were obtained before and after the experimental infection and changes in the microbial ecosystem were measured. Animals fed the WBc and the PC diets showed a significant reduction in the faecal score compared with the NC diet. The inclusion of WBc in the diet increased total volatile fatty acid concentration, reduced Bacteroidetes in the faeces before and after the experimental infection compared with the NC diet and increased Firmicutes at the end of the experiment. Based on the results, diarrhoea scours and the composition of the pig gut microbial community are modified by the inclusion of a relatively small amount of wheat bran in the diet, being the physical presentation of the fibre a determinant of that difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonanoic acid (NA) is one of a group of straight-chain aliphatic aldehydes, acids and their derivatives with a long and established history of use as flavors in human food and animal feed. The use of this group of flavors in feed was evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2013 and in the absence of data in the target species, maximum safe levels were derived from available toxicology studies of 12 mg for piglets, and 20 mg for grower/finisher pigs and sows per kg complete feed containing 120 g/kg moisture. These established safe levels limit the practical use of NA as a flavoring in swine diets and the objective of this study was to evaluate the tolerance to piglets of NA at significantly higher dietary levels that are relevant to commercial feeding practices. Three hundred eighty four (192 males, 192 females), cross bred [Tempo x (Large White x Landrace)] post-weaned piglets with an initial body weight (BW) of between 6.5 and 8.5 kg and age of 26 days were used in a 42-day tolerance study. Piglets were randomly assigned to one of 64 pens containing either 6 males or 6 females. One of 4 dietary treatments were fed to the piglets containing NA at 0, 100, 300 or 1000 mg/kg complete feed. General health and performance were monitored for the duration of the study. At day 42, blood samples were taken and piglets were sacrificed and necropsied for pathological examination of the digestive tract. NA supplementation had no effect (P > 0.05) on the daily feed intake (DFI), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) or fecal consistency over the 42-day period. No treatment related effects (P > 0.05) on hematology or blood biochemistry parameters were reported and all values fell within normal ranges. There were no treatment-related findings from macroscopic and microscopic examination of digestive tissues. The results of the study support the tolerance to piglets of NA in feed treated with 1000 mg/kg complete feed of which 720 mg/kg was recovered, which is considerably higher than anticipated practical conditions of use as a feed flavoring. • Weaned piglets were fed graded levels of nonanoic acid in the diet for 42 days. • There were no treatment related changes in growth performance, blood parameters and tissue pathology. • Nonanoic acid was well-tolerated by piglets at levels of up to 1000 mg/kg complete feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]